As the cannabis industry is booming and on the precipice of federal legalization, it must figure out how it will traverse and address racial and gender equity in its workforce. While folks who have been incarcerated for non-violent cannabis offenses are overwhelmingly people of color, those getting funding and attention in the legalized cannabis industry have often been white men. STIIIZY is a brand changing that paradigm.
A Los Angeles-based cannabis company in 5 states, women of color are at the heart of STIIIZY’s continuous, pivotal success. The company breaks the "white bro in weed" mold - the vast majority of its employees are people of color, women are in leadership at all levels, and the brand has critical partnerships to support the #STOPASIANHATE movement and other community-led social justice initiatives.
Today on the podcast are STIIIZY executives Jackie Kim and Charmaine Chua. They discuss what it's like to be women of color in the industry, what they feel a diverse perspective brings to the market, how we can rectify the historic damage done to communities of color in the "war on drugs," why it's so important to them that their company is involved in social justice issues, and what they see as the future of the cannabis industry.
LINKS:
STIIIZY products are available to individuals over the age of 21 in California, Nevada, Washington, Michigan, and Arizona.
Medication abortion, or "the abortion pill," is an incredibly safe method of abortion that can be used up to about the first 11 weeks of pregnancy. Many people prefer this method to an in-clinic abortion due to the lower cost and the ability to manage the pregnancy termination to a large extent at home, on their own terms - but there's plenty of stigma and confusion around it (like the fact that "the abortion pill" is actually a regimen of two different meds, taken as 5 pills total). Worse, there are medically unnecessary restrictions on the provision of medication abortion, passed by ideologues rather than by doctors. Chief among them is an FDA requirement that has historically dictated that the first pill in the two-part regimen be taken in a doctor's office - even though there is no scientific basis to this requirement. Restrictions like this do nothing to make abortion safer, but go a long way towards making abortion harder to get for many people.
Today on the podcast we welcome back previous guest Aisha Chaudhri of Everthrive Illinois to discuss all things "MedAb:" what it is, how it works, why someone might prefer this method, what the restrictions are, how COVID has led to temporary loosening on some of these restrictions, and how we can advocate for the permanent removal of these medically unnecessary restrictions on what is a very safe, routine procedure.
Resources:
On March 22, 2020, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that prohibited procedures that were not "medically necessary," claiming that this would preserve personal protective equipment and reduce demands on hospital-based care. Despite the fact that abortion rarely occurs in hospitals, Attorney General Ken Paxton chose to interpret the order to include abortion in defiance of professional medical associations’ recommendations that access to abortion during the pandemic should not and need not be delayed or compromised.
Researchers at the Texas Policy Evaluation Project and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health studied the impacts of the executive order, and their recently published studies reveal just how disruptive the executive order was for Texans seeking abortion care: emotionally, financially, and logistically.
Joining the Femtastic Podcast today is Dr. Kari White, Associate Professor of Social Work and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin and lead investigator of the Texas Policy Evaluation Project, to discuss the negative impacts of this policy on patients, and why the disastrous consequences seen in Texas are a preview to what the United States would look like if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned.
Resources:
- TxPEP's research brief summarizing patients’ experiences getting care during the executive order
- TxPEP's article in JAMA
- Facebook: @TxPEP
-Twitter: @TxPEPresearch
- Instagram: @TxPEP_Research
Today on the podcast is Jo Tolley, an advocate for disability, equity, and diversity. As someone who uses a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy, Jo spent most of her life running from the label of “disabled.” In the past few years, she has decided to embrace her disability to become an advocate to change our perceptions around disability from being a dichotomy between “disabled” and “non-disabled” people, to instead thinking of disability as just another facet of diversity.
Jo talks on the podcast about what it means for equity to be achieved for the disability community, why terms like “able-bodied” bug her, how intersecting identities (such as her queerness) impact the experience of disability, and what she sees as the benefits of her disability. Jo wants to break down the boundaries of what we label as “disability,” and show that rather than a monolithic community, “If you’ve met one person with a disability, you’ve met one person with a disability.”
Find more of Jo:
On May 17, 2021, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case out of Mississippi that would that ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Depending on how the court rules on this case (and given the conservative make-up, it's not looking good), Roe v. Wade could either be entirely overturned or the court could give the green-light to states to further restrict abortion access - which is already logistically inaccessible to millions of Americans of reproductive age. All in all, this is the most dangerous and credible threat to Roe since the decision was made in 1973.
To explain the potential ramifications of this case is Carole Joffe. Carole is a Professor in the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) program in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and the author of several books on abortion provision, including her most recent, "Obstacle Course: The Everyday Struggle to Get an Abortion in America."
Carole describes what's at stake for millions of Americans, what accessing abortion might look like if Roe were to fall or be further restricted, and what YOU can do now to protect abortion access, regardless of the outcome of the case.
Resources:
We all know the term "work-life balance," but where do relationships and intimacy fit in? And what about during a global pandemic when stress - especially for working parents - is at an all-time high?
Today on the podcast is Naketa Ren Thigpen, psychotherapist, founder of ThigPro Balance and Relationship Management Institute, and fabulous host of the Balance Boldy Podcast. Regarded as the #1 Balance & Relationship Advisor in the world, Naketa has become the go-to resource for women entrepreneurs and power couples seeking to balance love and success without dimming or apologizing for their ambition.
Today on the podcast Naketa discusses how to set boundaries and goals to achieve balance between work, life, and our relationships. As the author of "Selfish: Permission to Pause, Live, Love and Laugh Your Way to Joy," Naketa describes what it means to be intentionally selfish and how that is key to our success and happiness.
As a relationship expert and sexologist, she also gives amazing advice for how amplify intimacy in all of our relationships (and especially our romantic relationships) in order to create joy and achieve whole success on our own terms - something many of us need after spending a year cooped up with our partners during the pandemic.
CONTENT WARNING: Sexual assault, suicide, suicidal ideation, depression, institutional silencing
What happens when the trauma of sexual assault extends beyond the event itself? What happens when an academic institution that is meant to protect its students ends up perpetuating further harm? On today’s episode, Katie interviews an anonymous guest who speaks about the experience of sexual assault that took place when she was an undergraduate student at Brown University and the aftermath of those events. While stories in the media of sexual assault are often portrayed as black and white, this particular narrative brings out why that approach often doesn’t do justice to these complex, nuanced stories and the imperfect people behind them.
Resources:
What we see in movies and TV impacts our cultural understanding and normalization of topics - and abortion is no different. That's why every year a team of researchers at UCSF's Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) analyzes and reports on film and TV portrayals of abortion.
Today on the podcast is Steph Herold, a researcher with the Abortion On-Screen Team here to discuss the 2020 report. Steph tells us how, where, and how accurately abortion was portrayed on-screen in 2020. She details how on-screen portrayals underrepresented people of color, parents, and barriers to abortion seen in real life, while overrepresenting teen patients and in-clinic (versus medication) abortions. Most importantly, she tells us why this all matters.
Show Resources:
- To view 2020 and all prior-year reports, go here
- To view ANSIRH's running database of on-screen abortion storylines OR to contact them to suggest a storyline not in their database, go here
- Email our guest stephanie.herold@ucsf.edu if you have any questions or want to share an episode/film with abortion in it.
- Find Steph on twitter at @Stephherold and her colleague Gretchen at @gesisson
You may have heard that poorer countries across the globe are not going to have access to the COVID-19 vaccine for a loooong time. If you live in a rich country, why should that matter to you?
The short answer: because the pandemic can't truly end in one place if it doesn't end in all places. Oh, and also because it's the right thing to do.
Today on the podcast, we welcome back guest Priti Krishtel, co-founder and co-executive director of global medicine access organization, I-MAK. Priti has been working for nearly two decades in the movement to create a more equitable and just medicine system for all, and COVID-19 is the perfect case study for why I-MAK's mission is to fix the broken patent system that keeps affordable drugs out of reach for so many.
Today on the podcast, we discuss the process countries undertake to secure vaccine supplies for their citizens and how that money-driven process advantages richer countries while disadvantaging poorer ones. Priti talks about existing global efforts to create vaccine equity, and how they have fallen short due to the greed of both pharma companies AND countries like the US. We also dive into how our antiquated customs around patents and intellectual property in pharmaceuticals create a huge hindrance to addressing a global pandemic with any useful speed, and why that will hurt ALL of us in the long run. Lastly, Priti discusses the lessons we can learn from other countries' handling of the pandemic, and particularly countries in the Global South, and what's ahead in the fight for global, equitable access to medicines.
[NOTE: This interview was recorded on February 16, 2021. Details of the progress of global vaccine deployment may have changed slightly between the recording date and this podcast's release date in late March 2021, but broad themes remain the same.]
Resources:
- Priti's New York Times Op-Ed: How the Patent and Trademark Office Can Promote Racial Justice
- The Overwhelming Racism Of COVID Coverage by Indi Samarajiva
In Femtastic's first-ever Spotlight Series, we focus this and the previous episode on bringing awareness to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or Domestic Violence (DV).
The months of COVID-associated isolation, fear, and economic anxiety have exacerbated IPV. In today's episode, we focus on emotional abuse, an equally (and as our guest argues, more) damaging type of abuse that can occur in all types of relationships, from romantic to parent-child, to workplace and beyond.
Today's guest is Beverly Engel, a psychotherapist who specializes in emotional abuse. Beverly details what emotional abuse looks like, how it shows up in all types of relationships (romantic relationships, queer and trans relationships, family relationships, etc.). Focusing mainly on romantic and familial relationships, Beverly discusses the tactics abusers use, the typical "profile" of an abuser, how abusers use shame to control their victims, and the red flags to spot early-on in a relationship that a partner may be emotionally abusive. She also discusses how COVID-19 worsens emotional abuse. Beverly offers resources for those in emotionally abusive relationships and for friends and family who suspect their loved one may be in an emotionally abusive relationship.
Beverly is the author of several books about emotional abuse, including her latest book, Escaping Emotional Abuse. Find links to her other books in the resources below.
Resources from Beverly:
Beverly's website: www.beverlyengel.com (resources, articles, and blogs about emotional abuse, plus how to contact her for counseling services)
HealMyShame.com: Great source of articles, blogs, and other information on emotional abuse and shame
Intimate Partner Violence Resources (all hotlines are confidential):
[TW: domestic violence, sexual assault, physical violence, emotional abuse]
A sad but true fact: more than 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the US will experience intimate partner violence (IPV). Half of all female homicides are from a current or past male intimate partner. And these are just the estimates we have among cisgender people and those who report their abuse. But with the compounded stress and isolation of COVID-19, IPV has reached a tragic, all-time high.
In Femtastic's first ever Spotlight Series, we focus the next two episodes on bringing awareness to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or Domestic Violence (DV).
The months of COVID-associated isolation, fear, and economic anxiety have ignited IPV to new and often deadly ends; specifically, domestic violence homicides have increased dramatically. Today, we focus on the type of abuse more commonly associated with IPV: physical violence. In the next episode, we focus on emotional abuse, an equally damaging type of IPV.
To discuss physical IPV today, Femtastic's guest is Kathryn Jacob, President and CEO of SafeHaven of Tarrant County, a DV shelter in Fort Worth, Texas. Kathryn has been working for over 20 years to shine a spotlight on the issue of domestic violence. As an expert in this field, she has a wealth of knowledge and leads the industry to develop early intervention techniques to reduce DV’s fatal outcomes.
Today on the podcast, Kathryn discusses why and how IPV occurs, how it shows up in all types of romantic relationships (straight; queer; among trans and non-binary folks, etc.), misconceptions around IPV, how COVID has exacerbated it, and what you can do to help.
Resources (all hotlines are confidential):
HealMyShame.com: Great source of articles, blogs, and other information on emotional abuse and shame (recommended by spotlight series guest Beverly Engel, an expert psychotherapist on emotional abuse)
How to support SafeHaven of Tarrant County
Offering real clinical guidance without the clinical jargon, this straightforward book breaks down each step of pregnancy, month-by-month, in ways that every person can understand and relate to during each phase of the pregnancy experience. It answers parents' most pressing questions, including what bodily changes to expect each month; changes in fetal development; how to manage self-care; how to think about pain relief during labor and delivery; how to handle travel, work, and exercise; COVID-19 considerations; and a new chapter where new parents and parents-to-be can find quick answers to frequently asked questions.
Resources:
- Buy ACOG's new book from independent booksellers
- Learn more about the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), including their helpful guidance for handling COVID-19 precautions and vaccinations in pregnancy, delivery, postpartum, and breastfeeding
Have you wondered what sorts of legal protections you have in the face of life's new COVID complexities? COVID-19 has impacted all facets of life where some legal know-how would be useful: in housing and leasing, student loans, travel and weddings, workplace accommodations, and more.
Renowned celebrity attorney, comedian, host of the podcast "Girl Is that Legal?", and star on the new dating reality show “Ready to Love,” on OWN, Symone Redwine is here to help. On the podcast today, she offers legal advice that certainly comes in handy during COVID, but much of which is applicable regardless of a pandemic - and worth knowing!
What rights do you have if you can't pay your rent? Your student loans? What legal obligations does your employer have if you fear COVID infection at work (or have other reasons, like pregnancy or an injury, that necessitate some sort of workplace accommodations)? If you are in a physically abusive relationship with a cohabitating partner, how can you break your portion of the lease? How can you get your money back due to canceled events like travel or weddings? And can employers require that employees and customers get the COVID-19 vaccine (or any vaccine, for that matter)?
Learn all this and more, and walk away with some legal knowledge your parents would be proud of.
Links and Resources:
Lord knows people have LOTS of questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. So it's time to get them answered!
On the podcast today is Stanford MD/PhD candidate Maria Filsinger Interrante, an expert in vaccine research and development! Femtastic host Katie Breen (who herself has a Master of Public Health from Harvard) asks Maria all of the most frequently asked questions and concerns about the vaccine. Is it safe? Was it "rushed?" Does it cause infertility? Can it change your DNA? Will it still work on the new variants of COVID-19?
Listen in to get all of these questions and more answered, and hopefully walk away feeling a little bit of...dare we say...hope?
Have additional questions about the vaccine? DM @Femtastic_Podcast on Instagram or Facebook, or shoot Katie an email at katie@femtasticpodcast.com or via the contact form on FemtasticPodcast.com to have them answered! And remember: there's no such thing as a stupid question!
Resources from Maria (in her own words):
Ever feel like you have no idea what to make of the media's coverage of China? How do we separate truth from xenophobia? What does it mean to be "tough on China?" And how do we look beyond news reports and politics to see the nuance inherent in a nation of 1.4 billion?
This episode of Femtastic features Dori Jones Yang, an expert who has spent her entire career helping Americans better understand China.
Dori helps us separate fact from fiction and see China for what it is: not a monolith, but a complicated, imperfect, impressive, and wildly resilient nation.
She explains China's place in the geopolitical environment; what they got wrong and got right about coronavirus; the good and the bad of China's powerful central government; American diplomatic policy towards China (past, present, and should-be-future); and what to make of China's rise.
Jones Yang's new book, When the Red Gates Opened: A Memoir of China’s Reawakening, tells of her experiences as a young foreign correspondent in China during the 1980s, a time marked by the both the euphoria of a post-isolationist China and the despair of Tiananmen. Learn more and find her memoir wherever books are sold.
After the execution of George Floyd earlier this year, Black entrepreneur, mother, and activist Lydia Elle found herself answering lots of questions from the white women in her social circles. They wanted to know how to teach their kids about racism, how to understand the world of parenting through the eyes of a Black mother, how to raise anti-racist kids, and how to talk about racism to their friends and family. Eventually, these conversations inspired Lydia to launch courses like "A Black Mother's Answers to White Women's Questions," and merchandise store Supplies for Allies so that these conversations were accessible to everyone.
In this interview, Lydia discusses what led her to this work, the kinds of questions she answers in her courses, and the most common mistakes she sees well-intentioned people making when trying to be allies. She talks about how she navigates the emotional toll of her work, offers guidance for white people who may want to ask questions of their Black friends about racism, and provides a frame for thinking about the tokenization of Black people in white anti-racism work and spaces. Lastly, she offers advice for how white people can start on their journeys towards becoming anti-racists and how that work can be sustained (hint: check out her free Anti-Racist Advent Calendar this month)!
Resources:
Imagine if you could easily get your birth control over-the-counter, just as you do with other safe, effective medicines like Tylenol and cough drops. Today's guest is Aisha Chaudhri, a reproductive justice advocate and leader of the Contraceptive Justice Project at EverThrive Illinois, who is working to increase access to comprehensive contraceptive care - including by making oral contraceptives available without a prescription.
In this episode, Aisha discusses why more methods of contraception should be made available over-the-counter (OTC) and the reasons why the United States is one of the few countries in the world where they are not already (hint: it's not for any scientific reason).
Aisha explains how increasing the availability of OTC methods of contraception creates greater equity in healthcare by increasing financial and physical access to these medications, and allowing people to care for themselves outside of a clinical setting and regardless of insurance status. Aisha tells listeners what they can do to help make OTC oral contraceptives a reality in the US.
Episode Resources:
Robyn Gigl is a transgender attorney and activist focused on protecting and expanding the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. In this interview with Katie Breen, Robyn describes the impact the Trump administration and recent Supreme Court rulings had on LGBTQ+ rights and discrimination protections, and what she sees as the legal (and political) challenges and opportunities ahead as we head into the Biden administration. Robyn describes her own experience of transitioning as a transgender woman in 2008, when she was in her 50s and a managing partner in a law firm she had worked at for 30 years. Lastly, she offers thoughtful advice on how heterosexual and cisgender people can be better allies to the LGBTQ+ community.
Visit Robyn's website to learn more about her and to preorder her upcoming novel, By Way of Sorrow, available on March 30, 2021.
In the wake of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death and Trump's nomination of judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the resulting vacancy...we have a lot to discuss.
Lawyer Kimya Forouzan revisits Femtastic to talk to host Katie Breen about the significance of Amy Coney Barrett's nomination. What are her potential paths to appointment? Is there anything we can do about it? Why is her role on the court so concerning? Is Roe v. Wade doomed? Find out all this and more.
Resources from the show:
How do we change not only the stereotypes of who is a scientist, but the systems themselves that have created and perpetuated these stereotypes? Katie discusses with the hosts of the Webby-nominated Dope Labs podcast, Drs. Titi Shodiya and Zakiya Whatley.
Dope Labs isn't your typical science podcast because Titi and Zakiya are not your "typical" scientists. In fact, these two black women scientists are on a mission to break the mold of what we think of as a "typical" scientist.
The Duke University-trained PhDs created Dope Labs to empower those who are most often left out of scientific fields: women and people of color. The hosts bring their whole selves to exploring scientific questions, bringing a Black lens and a penchant for pop culture to make science relatable and fun. This is reflected in their broad range of topics, such as astronomy, "cuffing season," why the concept of biological race is a lie, and vibranium (the fictional metal from "Black Panther").
On today's Femtastic Podcast, Titi and Zakiya explain why it's so important to speak about science in a way that anybody can understand and how they want to empower people of color to bring their whole selves to scientific careers. They also talk about how we must strive beyond the goal of mere "representation" of people of color in science and instead think about how we create systems and cultures that allow marginalized people to have the power, freedom of expression, and respect that majority groups get by default.
"For us, it’s just about having folks feel like they can show up as their for-real selves to their slice of the scientific community, and not have to change themselves or hide parts of themselves because they feel like it will be something that holds them back in their career."
The Supreme Court of the United States just released long-awaited decisions on two highly consequential reproductive rights cases. In June Medical Services v. Russo, the court weighed in on whether states can enact a specific type of sham law to limit access to abortion care (TLDR; they said not *that* type of law but others might be cool). In Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania, the court decided whether your (yes, your) private employer or university can deny coverage of birth control based on their religious or moral beliefs (spoiler: yes, even if you don't work for a religiously-affiliated organization). Suffice it to say that these two decisions have HUGE implications for reproductive rights in the United States. On the podcast to break it all down is attorney Kimya Forouzan, a legal fellow of reproductive rights law organization If/When/How who is currently working within the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF). Kimya explains what happened in these cases and what it all means for our reproductive rights moving forward.
RESOURCE MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
For anyone with questions or concerns about their birth control coverage, particularly in light of the decision in Little Sisters of the Poor, the National Women's Law Center (who worked on the amicus brief for the case) runs a free hotline called CoverHer to help triage any birth control insurance coverage questions.
Amidst all of the COVID-19 news, one thing you may have missed: anti-choice lawmakers have been seizing upon the opportunity to use coronavirus as an excuse to enact abortion restrictions. Femtastic host Katie Breen speaks with Ravina Daphtary of abortion rights organization All* Above All about the methods lawmakers have been using to use COVID-19 policies to restrict abortion access. They also discuss how the issues of racial injustice, COVID, and reproductive rights are all tied together - and how those intersections are playing out in current events.
SHOW NOTES:
Want to learn more about the Hyde Amendment? Listen to Femtastic episode #21: "How the Hyde Amendment Harms Women" from November 2017, featuring Morgan Hopkins of All* Above All.
In the wake of #MeToo and several high-profile sexual harassment cases in the news, many of us are left wondering...what can we do if we think we're the victim of sexual harassment or gender discrimination at work? What options do we have? How do we protect ourselves AND our careers? Attorney Vince White joins Femtastic Podcast to help guide us through these questions. White is a partner at a NYC law firm specializing in sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace. In an interview with Femtastic host Katie Breen, White details what sexual harassment and gender discrimination may look like, what options victims have for both non-legal and legal recourse, and what they may expect from the process. White also talks about how #MeToo and Trump's election have changed the makeup of the clients that seek his help, and how his field of law still has a long way to go in terms of the gender makeup of its attorneys and adequate representation of transgender clients.
Sometimes, your kids get on your nerves. But how parents respond in those situations is incredibly important to their children's development and their own mental health as parents. Hunter Clarke-Fields is a mindfulness mentor, host of the Mindful Mama podcast, and author of the new book "Raising Good Humans." In an interview with Femtastic host Katie Breen, Hunter shares how parents can teach themselves practical mindfulness skills so that when their kids inevitably press their buttons, they can respond in a less reactive and more loving way. While this is obviously great for kids, Hunter also explains how in a world with ever-increasing pressure on parents to be "perfect," getting out of the reactivity-guilt cycle is a lifeline for parents too. Hunter likes to ask, "Can we love ourselves into being better parents?" The answer is yes.
Caitlin Blunnie started publishing her art as @liberaljane on Instagram in 2016. She has since gained a huge following by creating art that serves as (literally) colorful social commentary on issues of bodily autonomy such as abortion rights, queer liberation, and justice for survivors of sexual trauma.
Katie Breen interviews Caitlin on Femtastic to discuss how she got involved in "art as activism," what inspires her, how to support other artist-activists, and how to get involved in activism of your own making (artistic or otherwise).